Requiem for an Alchemist
by fmapreshwab
Summary: This is the sequel to my first Full Metal story, Bonds that Last. There has been a murder, and it's up to two detectives, rookie Kevin Conroy and seasoned partner Julian Garza, to solve this case
1. The Crime

Okay, this is how it breaks down: the detectives, the victim, plot, and all the obscure references to the people you've never heard of-mine; regular characters, the city, and all that other crap-not mine. All that crap belongs to the company...or something like that. So, let's get going.

"Case Log  
Case GAR-724  
Date: June 4, 1915  
Code 324-Murder  
Loc.-alley off road 23  
Victim-Ree, Arika Zuko, State's Alchemist, General in Fuhrer's Army  
Bullet matching military issue pistol found in stomach. Body found in care of Colonel Roy Mustang. Mustang hysteric, found with unrelated head wound." Detective Kevin Conroy turned off his recorder and returned it to his pocket.  
"Would you give it a rest?" his partner, Detective Julian Garza shouted. "You do that for every case!"  
"Mark my words, one day it'll pay off."  
"So," Garza started, ignoring Conroy's comment, "what do we know about the case?"  
"I just said it! General Arika Ree, State's Alchemist of the Fuhrer's army, was shot in the stomach by a military pistol in an alley off street 23. The body was found with Colonel Roy Mustang, also Fuhrer's army, who was found hysteric with an unrelated head wound."  
"He'd been beating his head against a wall," Garza said incredulously. "So, what else?"  
"According to Mustang, they had been on a date. They were," he glanced down at his notes skeptically, "dancing in the alley. Also according to Mustang, they had been walking back to the victim's apartment building from Central Park."  
"Do you have to keep saying that?" Garza asked.  
"Saying what?" Conroy insisted on playing dumb.  
"'According to Mustang'. It's annoying and pointless."  
"I'm just presenting it as what it is. It's testimony from our prime suspect, not fact."  
"What makes him your prime suspect?" Garza honestly didn't think Mustang had killed her, but Conroy had a way of misunderstanding things. It was always difficult to make him see logic. He always jumped to a conclusion and stuck to it.  
"He was the last one to see the victim alive. They were in an alley, no witnesses. Hell, he had a military issue pistol in his back pocket!" Conroy hated when Garza did this. So he was new, that didn't mean he was incompetent.  
"He's military, of course he had the pistol! Where's the motive?"  
"Maybe they had a fight and it got out of hand," Conroy said defensively.  
"We can't lock a man up on 'maybe', Conroy."  
Ignoring this, Conroy continued. "Mustang says they hadn't planned to stop in the alley, but they had heard music. After a few minutes, he says he could tell something was wrong. She fell, he caught her, he felt for a pulse, she was dead." He looked at Garza. "All according to Mustang," he added. Garza glared at him.  
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "So this is probably an opportunity case. Is that all we know? What about background?"  
"She had been in the city two days. The first day, she met with Mustang and his staff at his office and had dinner with Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes and wife and daughter Gracia and Elicia. On the second day, she leased an apartment in the same building as Mustang."  
"So, where was she living prior to the new lease?"  
"She was transferred in from the West. She had a home she had recently sold. It says she lived there with one James Foust before he left. Foust also now leases an apartment in Central." He looked down at his notes. "Hmmm…this is interesting," he muttered.  
"What?"  
"One of her co-workers was in Central the night of the murder. Lieutenant Burt Esch. Worked under Ree for two years."  
"Why was he here?"  
"Unknown. He was on leave from his post and he came to Central."  
"Okay," Garza said, "I've heard enough. Let's round up the suspects."  
"Hey, Garza?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Could it have been that guy, Scar, who goes around killing alchemists?"  
"No, I've seen one of the Scar murders. This doesn't fit. When he kills, it looks like there was an explosion. If it had been him, we would know it, trust me."  
The two set out to find everyone they thought had motive or opportunity. In the end, they had gathered together Lt. Esch, Col. Mustang, Lt. Col. Hughes, James Foust, Lt. Riza Hawkeye, and Major Alex Armstrong.  
"Well," Garza said, looking in on the suspects, "let's get to it. One of these people is a murderer and it's up to us to find out which one of them it is."

Anti-climactic as that is, it's still the end of chapter one. Please review, and I'll update soon.


	2. The Interrogations

Okay, this is how it breaks down: the detectives, the victim, plot, and all the obscure references to the people you've never heard of-mine; regular characters, the city, and all that other crap-not mine. All that crap belongs to the company...or something like that. So, let's get going.

Garza stood in a corner, waiting for Conroy to return with their first suspect. It was time to begin questioning them. The door squeaked open and Conroy led him in. Mustang was Conroy's first pick (big surprise). Garza sighed. He knew the thought process behind this choice. If Conroy could get Mustang to confess, there would be no need to question the other six, and they could go home early. Garza knew it would be more difficult than that, but let the kid have his delusions. Mustang sat in the metal chair set for him and waited for the detectives to begin. Conroy took the only other chair in the room, and Garza continued to stand. And so it begins, Garza thought.  
"Can you tell us, in your own words please, just what happened the night of June 4?"  
"I already told you," Mustang said calmly.  
"For the record, please," Conroy said.  
As Mustang started to speak, Garza's roll began. He would watch Mustang's face and gestures through the part they knew to be true and compare them to the expressions he used during the part being called into question. "We went to dinner at 7. There was a restaurant she wanted to try, the Chi, so we went. Dinner lasted about an hour and a half, then we went dancing. Around 10 we went to the park, then we left at about 10:30." They already knew this. So far he was being roughly truthful. "We were on our way home when we heard music. We stopped in the alley and for about five minutes we danced. I spun her out, and when she came back, her eyes looked vacant. She put her hand to her stomach, she fell, I caught her. I checked her pulse, but she was dead." As far as Garza could tell, he was telling the truth.  
"Why didn't you call the police?" Conroy asked.  
"We had drawn a crowd, I assumed someone had called them already."  
"Why did you have a gun with you?"  
"I always carry a gun."  
Conroy looked at Mustang for a moment, then turned to Garza. They walked out into the hall, leaving Mustang in the room alone. "I can't find anything to suggest he's lying," Garza said, after the door had closed.  
"Damn, me either." Conroy had been so sure that he was the one. Not that this proved otherwise, but he had been sure they would catch him strait off. "Should we bring in the next one?"  
"Unless you have anything left to ask." Conroy had no other questions for the moment, so he took Mustang back to the holding area and brought in the next suspect, Hughes. Garza didn't think he had done it, either, but he was one of the few people in Central that knew the victim, which, according to Conroy, made him a suspect.  
Conroy started in the second he sat down. "Where were you at 10:45 on the night of the fourth?"  
"I was on my way home from the records office," Hughes said.  
"Is there anyone who can verify that?"  
"I think I was passing the fish cart on street 14. You could ask the woman who runs the cart because I always say hello on my way past."  
Conroy made a note on his pad. "How did you know the victim?"  
"We were old friends. We went to school together."  
Conroy asked a few more questions to verify information they already knew, then they sent him on his way back to holding and Conroy led Hawkeye in. This was another 'suspect' who knew the victim, and even just barely.  
Garza had objected to bringing this woman in. Hawkeye barely knew the victim, had a verified alibi, and, most importantly, had no motive. They began.  
"Where were you on the night of the fourth at 10:45?"  
"I was in my apartment." They had already checked with the tenant across the hall, who had verified that she came home at nine.  
"Did you know the victim?"  
"Barely. I had met her the day before. She came by headquarters to visit the colonel, and he had introduced us."  
"Was that all?"  
"I didn't even hear her name again until I was called in for questioning."  
Conroy sighed, oh for three, and led Hawkeye out. Garza wasn't quite as annoyed as Conroy looked, but he was coming close. They had all been Conroy's suspects. He had understood calling in Mustang, but the last two had probably just been desperate grabbing at straws. He led in another sham of a suspect, Major Alex Armstrong.  
"Major," Conroy began, "how did you know the victim?"  
"I met the general the day before she was killed. She was in Central Headquarters, she ran into me in a hallway."  
'Wow, this guy definitely did it,' Garza thought sarcastically.  
Armstrong wasn't done yet. "She and Colonel Mustang had a conversation about knowing my father."  
"How did they know your father?"  
"It seems he taught them at the academy."  
'Wow, he's simply a goldmine of relevant information.'  
"Was that it?" Conroy asked.  
"She apologized for hitting me, and she walked away. Later that day, I witnessed a fight between the general and colonel Mustang."  
'That's slightly more interesting.'  
"What were they fighting about?" Conroy asked. He was just as intent as Garza now.  
"They were in disagreement as to who would win, so they fought. It was quite humiliating for Colonel Mustang. He lost horribly, in front of his entire staff."  
'Entire…' That's when Garza decided to speak. "So, Lt. Hawkeye was there?"  
Armstrong, startled, turned to Garza. "Yes…," he said, hesitant and confused.  
"Where were you at 10:45 on the night of the fourth?" Conroy continued, aggravated to have been interrupted by Garza. He failed to see the significance of such a slight omittance.  
"I was at home."  
"Is there anyone we can verify that with?"  
"No, I live alone."  
Conroy led Armstrong out and came back to talk to Garza. "What was that about?"  
"Hawkeye didn't mention a fight."  
"She probably didn't see the need."  
Garza could admit that to Conroy, but he didn't see Hawkeye as the type to leave anything out. She also seemed like the type that could tell a convincing lie, should she see the need.  
Conroy led in Lt. Burt Esch and began again. Esch had been in town on leave visiting his mother. They had verified this and the fact that he was at her home on the outskirts of town at the time of the murder. They also had proof that he didn't have his side arm with him in Central.  
"I didn't even know the general was in Central, or I might have visited her."  
That was that for Esch, which left only James Foust to be questioned, then they would release the least likely suspects and begin more in depth interrogations on the suspects left over.  
Foust didn't own a military pistol, but that didn't mean there was no way he couldn't have gotten a hold of one. He and the victim hadn't parted on the best of terms, giving him some small semblance of motive, and his alibi was weak at best. He also claimed no knowledge of the victim's presence in the city.  
After leading Foust out, Conroy and Garza sat in the small room and decided who would be released that day, and who they needed to keep in holding.  
"Hughes, Armstrong, Esch, and Hawkeye should be released," Conroy said. "I want Mustang around a little longer."  
"I think we should hold on to Hawkeye for a while," Garza countered.  
"What? Is this about the fight?" Conroy was angry. It had been a long day, and Hawkeye was obviously innocent. "She was at home at the time of the shooting, we have proof!"  
"We have the testimony of an easily bribed neighbor."  
Conroy was tired of this. "Fine, if you think it will do any good, she'll stay."  
"I think it will. Now, let's release the others and go."  
"Sounds good to me," Conroy said, making for the door.

It'll be better next time. Until then, read, review, enjoy.


	3. Interrogations 2

Okay, this is how it breaks down: the detectives, the victim, plot, and all the obscure references to the people you've never heard of-mine; regular characters, the city, and all that other crap-not mine. All that crap belongs to the company...or something like that. So, let's get going.

It really was a small room. Conroy could barely stand sitting in this tiny room. It was supposed to intimidate the suspect, but it always made Conroy nervous. It had been an hour, and Mustang's story hadn't changed. Conroy was getting sick of this fast, and he was close to snapping.  
Just when he was about to break, Garza stepped in. "That will be all for now, Mr. Mustang." He looked to Conroy, who led Mustang back to holding.  
A quick check said that it was Foust's turn in the room. Hawkeye had been the first suspect questioned that day. She had remained impassive and obstinate, and they (Garza) had decided to hold their little 'ace in the hole' for another time. He hated that woman, he hated her so much. He almost hoped she had done it.  
Foust's round of questioning turned up nothing, which is when they pulled the trump card. "We checked the emergency line down at the department for the call record." Foust looked blank. Obviously, that had not meant much to him. He was getting there, though. "We checked the log and found something interesting. Where did you say you were that night?"  
"I spent the whole day and night in my apartment. I was asleep."  
"Really? Well, we have a police operator and a call record that say different. They say one James Foust called in an emergency. Should I quote? 'Oh, God, she's been shot. Send someone now, Arika's been shot. She's bleeding, oh God, she needs help, please, God, send a doctor. She's dying.' Does that sound familiar?" That was it! He was starting to squirm. It wouldn't be long before he cracked.  
Snap, crackle, pop. "Fine," he shouted. "Fine, d'ya wanna know what happened? I'll tell ya! I woke up around ten. I went for a walk, passed the park. Imagine my surprise when my ex-girlfriend walked past with some pretty boy, going the same way. They were out ahead of me, so there wasn't much I could do. I just kept going. They turned down every street I needed to be on. They turned into an alley, started dancing. I needed to know she was happy, can you understand that? We dated for over a year, dammit! Did your file tell you that? I needed to know she was happy. I heard a shot-"  
'Wait," Conroy stopped him. "You heard the shot?"  
"Yeah."  
No one had heard the shot up to now. Mustang hadn't heard it, and no one else had been in the vicinity. 'Oh, this is a good break!' Conroy thought to himself with a smile. "Where did the shot come from?"  
"Weirdest thing, it really was. I heard it, but it came from above me. I looked up, and all I saw was the side of a building. I thought I saw a window close, but it could have been my imagination."  
"Why didn't you bring this to us earlier?"  
"I didn't want to be a suspect."  
"You were already a suspect."  
He paused to think for a minute. "D'ya know, I never looked at it that way."  
Conroy sighed. 'What an idiot,' he thought. "Thank you for telling us this, you've been very helpful."  
Garza, who had until now been very quiet, came forward. "One more thing. What level do you think the window was on?"  
"From what I could tell," Foust started. Then he paused, thoughtful. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Fourth floor."  
Garza smiled that creepy smile of his. "Thank you, Mr. Foust. That will be all."  
Conroy led him back to holding, then came back to the tiny interrogation room to speak to Garza. "What d'you think?" Conroy asked.  
"Well, I think I know who did it. Just to be sure though, bring me file 724-E."  
"You mean…."  
"I do mean. Bring me the file."

Garza and Conroy walked into the holding area. "I think you'll all be happy to know we've solved the case. Well, not all of you." Garza smiled and stepped up to the cell. "We know who, but we don't know why. Maybe you can fill us in," he said, turning to the murderer.

Dun Dun Dun! Not much as far as cliff hangers go, but I do my best. I'll fill everyone in on the perp and motive in the next edition of…Requiem for an Alchemist!


	4. Confessions

Okay, this is how it breaks down: the detectives, the victim, plot, and all the obscure references to the people you've never heard of-mine; regular characters, the city, and all that other crap-not mine. All that crap belongs to the company...or something like that. So, let's get going.

The look of astonishment was priceless. She stood like a deer in the headlights. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, would you please come with us?" Garza asked, opening the door to her cell. He led her back to the small room where he usually stood in the corner. Conroy was left outside this time. It was his turn for the questions. They sat down, and for a moment, they sat looking each other in the eye.  
"What makes you think I've done anything?" He grinned as she slowly cracked.  
"Where were you at 10:45 the night of June 4?"  
"I was in my apartment." Anyone else would have been annoyed at having to answer the same question over and over. Not this one, though.  
"And what were you doing in your apartment?" Ah, a new question. It caught her off guard, but she covered it well.  
She paused. "Sleeping."  
"You're lying."  
"Now, why would I do that?"  
"That is a good question. Why indeed? I think I may have another good question for you. Why would you lie about seeing Arika at the fight on the third?"  
"What? What are you--" she started, but he wouldn't let her finish.  
"The third, near the end of your shift. You said you saw her when the colonel introduced you, then you didn't see her or hear about her until we brought you in. Now, you don't strike me as the type of person who would forget anything, let alone watching your boss get his ass kicked by a girl half his size. Which, of course, leads me to believe that you lied to us."  
"And why do you think I would do that?" she asked coolly.  
Or, at least, she was trying to act cool, but he could see her slowly crumbling. "I think it may have something to do with a guilty conscience." For a moment, he thought she was glaring at him. "Why don't you just tell me what happened? We have enough evidence to put you away either way."  
"What do you have?"  
"We have a witness." He watched her fall apart then and there.  
"You—you're bluffing."  
"Oh, I am, am I?"  
She stared blankly for a moment, then conceded. "What did you want to know?"  
"What happened at the fight?"  
She started, and there would be no stopping her now. "It wasn't any one thing, but…it was the way he acted around her. He was just so…I don't know how to say it. He loved her. It became obvious that he loved her."  
"And this bothered you?"  
"You can't possibly—"  
"You love him, don't you?"  
"Wh-what?"  
"Do you love him?"  
"What—"  
He wasn't really letting her finish, but he was okay with that. "That isn't important. So, you saw them outside your window that night, and you just decided to kill her?"  
"They had been in that alley so many times. They walked past my window so many times, it was infuriating. So, that night, I guess I snapped. They were just so…it sickened me."  
He snapped off the recorder. "Thank you, I have everything I need now." He led her back to holding. "Now," he said, facing the three of them, "as I was saying. We've solved the case."  
Mustang glared at him. "Who did it?" he asked fiercely. "Who killed Arika?"  
Garza looked up at the ceiling. He didn't want to give it away. "Should I tell him or would you like to do it yourself?" he asked the ceiling. He looked down and surveyed the three of them. Mustang was glaring, Foust was clueless, and Hawkeye couldn't meet Mustang's eyes. She didn't have the courage to tell him. He was about to begin the explanation when she surprised him.  
"I did it," she said, looking at Mustang defiantly. "It was me, Roy."  
He stared at her for a moment, uncomprehendingly. "You…but, why?"  
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and took the plunge. "I hated her. You loved her and I couldn't stand it." She opened her eyes and smiled. A weight had been lifted and she obviously felt better.  
Mustang, on the other hand, was angry. "You're smiling! How could you? Aren't you even sorry?"  
She looked at him in astonishment. "Now that you mention it, no, I'm not. I've killed too many people for any one to be regretted, I guess."  
He glared at her for a moment, then turned his back on her. Garza took that as his cue. He opened the cells holding Foust and Mustang. On his way out, Foust turned. "What will happen t her?"  
"She'll be put to trial, then probably serve a prison sentence," Conroy told him.  
Garza stopped before leaving the holding cell. Something didn't add up. She was grinning. It was small and he'd almost missed it, but she was grinning. He walked back. "Odd, murder convicts don't usually smile." She looked up angrily. Thinking back it seemed too perfect. She had led up to it, then broken at a crucial moment. Just too perfect. "Did you really do it?"  
"I confessed, didn't I?"  
"That doesn't mean anything."  
"Yes, I did it!" she shouted.  
"Why?"  
She looked him square in the eye. "Do you really want to know?"  
"Yes, I do."  
several years earlier  
An old man stood in front of a small girl. "Young Riza, you have defeated all my students. All but one. Defeat that one student, and you shall enter the ranks of the elite military warriors with my blessing."  
The young girl bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Armstrong. I am ready."  
A younger Arika Ree walked into the room.  
"You may begin," Armstrong said, stepping back.  
present  
"She beat me, and I never recovered. I was shamed, humiliated, and I entered the military as a base ensign."  
"And you've blamed her all these years." Suddenly it fell into place. That was why she hadn't mentioned the fight. She had used love as a façade for her shame. She had killed the girl, and that was all that was important to everyone else, but now he knew why, and he would be able to sleep tonight.  
several hours later  
A shadow fell over the sleeping form of a sleeping woman in a holding cell.

That's it for this episode, tune in for more!


	5. The Truth

Okay, this is how it breaks down: the detectives, the victim, plot, and all the obscure references to the people you've never heard of-mine; regular characters, the city, and all that other crap-not mine. All that crap belongs to the company...or something like that. So, let's get going.

Riza awoke to a small, familiar sound. It was cloth sliding on metal, a knife being unsheathed. It was a moment later, when she realized she was supposed to be alone, when she began to panic. She continued to breathe deeply in a simulation of sleep. She cautiously opened one eye, found it was too dark for her to be seen, and sat up. At once she saw a shadow, no a silhouette, of a man. Although it was dark, she could feel him staring at her, the hatred in the stare. It was terrible. The heat of the fury behind the stare, and so many details of that silhouette that she knew so well, told her who he was immediately. She knew who he was and why he was here. "Think, please. Do you really want to do this?"  
"No, of course I don't want to do this! I have to do this. Can't you understand that?" he asked in that voice she had heard for years.  
"Roy, I understand, but…just tell me this. Is it a matter of vengeance or honor?"  
"Dammit, Riza! Why can't you just beg for your life like a normal person?"  
"Answer my question Roy. Why are you doing this?"  
"You've been an amazing officer and a better friend until now. Hell, yesterday, I thought of you almost like a sister. Then I found out what you did, and it destroyed the whole way I look at the world. I needed you to be a good person, then you do this. I'm doing this for Arika, but I'm doing this for myself." He fell to the floor. "I just don't know anymore. I mean what the hell?"  
"I've killed so many people…"  
"Don't feed me that crap! You can't blame the military this time, not with me! I know you, you kill for the job. This wasn't for the job, I need to know why!"  
He was so sad, laying there on the floor. She had lied to the cop. Hell, she had lied to the cop twice. Maybe Roy deserved to know. "I couldn't do my job!" she suddenly blurted. She hadn't meant to tell him, but it was out now.  
"What?" He was so confused, so cute.  
"I couldn't do my job," she admitted, defeated.  
He took a deep breath. "What was your job?"  
"I was ordered to execute an assassination."  
"By whom?"  
"I can't tell you, Roy, I just can't."  
"So, if Arika wasn't the target.…"  
It was slowly dawning on him, and she was glad it was dark. She couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her cry. The memory was just so painful. She could remember it perfectly…  
two days ago  
Riza stood in the office of Fuhrer King Bradley. She didn't know why she had been summoned here, but she was uncomfortable just being here. Somehow, it felt like she was betraying Roy just being here. He was staring at her with that eye. It was…creepy was the only word for it.  
He began to speak. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, I've called you here because you are an exemplary soldier, and I need you for a very important mission. I have information from a very reliable source that a soldier in my army is planning a coup. I want you to help me rid myself of him."  
"Are you asking me to kill someone?" she asked, sure she knew the answer.  
"Not asking, ordering you to kill. You've killed in the line of work on many occasions, this is no different."  
"Who's my mark?"  
"A man you've worked closely with for many years. His name is…."  
present  
She could feel him staring at her again. Not with rage this time, but sheer stupefaction. He couldn't believe her. She was almost certain he didn't.  
He spoke up. "Then, why would you kill Arika? I still don't understand."  
She sighed. "You two walked into the alley outside my apartment window…."  
two nights earlier  
Riza sat in her apartment, leaning out the window. She had her scope trained on her best friend. 'Wow, that's kinda pathetic. My boss is my best friend.' She shook her head to clear it. He was her friend, but this was her job. This had been her job for years, and it would be her job for many years to come. She had been given an order, and she would carry out that order. She went back to her pistol, to which she had attached a rifle scope. A rifle would have been better, but she needed something that wouldn't make a lot of noise. 'No, I'm just distracting myself.' She held her breath and prepared to pull the trigger. She couldn't do it. She was putting the gun down when Black Hyate barked. She had been so focused, so prepared, so tensed, the shock made her pull the trigger. "Dammit!" she shouted. She pulled herself back in through the window and closed it. When she looked back out, the woman Roy had been with, 'Arika wasn't it?', was on the ground and Roy looked like he was shouting. "Dammit," she whispered.  
present  
"Now you know."  
He paused for a moment, thinking. "It was…an accident?"  
She looked down. Maybe the ground had the answers written in its dirt. "Yes."  
"And you feel guilty, right?"  
"The guiltiest I've ever felt after shooting someone."  
He was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, it was with indignance. "You were gonna shoot me?"  
She grinned. "An order is an order, right?"  
"Wait, Bradley knows about the master plan?"  
She sighed. 'Why does he have to call it that?' "Yes, he knows about your master plan."  
"So, can I blame the dog?"  
"You can blame the dog, if you stop calling him the dog."  
"Alright then, we'll get you released in the morning." He turned. He was walking out, when he turned back and called "Hey, Riza?"  
"Yes?" she answered.  
"Thanks. For telling me and for lying to the cop."  
"Thanks for hearing me out before stabbing me," she called back.  
"Glad I did." He left without another word.

echoy voice Now you know! end echo effect Sorry. But, yeah, that's that for now. I'll finish and tie up the loose ends soon.


	6. Endings

Okay, this is how it breaks down: the detectives, the victim, plot, and all the obscure references to the people you've never heard of-mine; regular characters, the city, and all that other crap-not mine. All that crap belongs to the company...or something like that. So, let's get going.

They stood together in front of her grave. He had sat in the back row of the church during her ceremony, she had kept him company and shared in his pain. Roy and Riza stood now together in front of her grave. It was time for a more personal form of grieving now. It was a time for apologies and a time for a deep shared depression. Looking back, he had heard some beautiful things said about her. Maes had spoken at the ceremony, and Foust and Lt. Esch had made appearances. Neither of them exactly appriciated the looks Foust had given Riza, and it occurred to him that Esch didn't know who killed her. That wasn't important now, though. It was just the three of them, and the only thing that mattered was that Arika knew what happened.  
Riza looked at him for a moment. "That's a nice tune, Roy. What is it?"  
He smiled. "It's my favorite requiem."  
"How appropriate," she said ironically. She took a step back. "I'll let you say your goodbyes in private, sir."  
She was suddenly so formal. Well, alright then. "Thank you, lieutenant." She walked away and he sat down in the grass. At first, he just sat there, looking at the sky, the hills, the trees, anything but the crushing reality of the headstone. He knew she would have him come to grips with oppresive weight of her absence, so he turned to look at her grave. In his mind, she sat with him there, on a grassy hill just outside Central. He began to speak. He told her of the ceremony, the beautiful things Maes had said for her. He had recited a prayer for her. Foust had read a poem she had written at some point or other, truly moving. Lieutenant Esch had gone on about what a wonderful person she had been. He was a small, jittery man, too young for his uniform, for the duties put upon him. He shook his head. "No, far too young, Arika. You work with him, you must know what I mean." He knew it was a little crazy, talking to her like this, but he didn't care. It comforted him to see her there, and that was all he needed right now. Finally, he told her how she died. He told her because she deserved to know, because she would want to know, because she would have done the same for him. He sat and cried quietly for a few minutes, then rose and stepped over to Riza. "Lieutenant?"  
"Yes, sir?"  
"Unless you would like to say a few words…?"  
"No sir, I feel it would be inappropriate." She paused for a moment, thoughtful. She walked over to the grave. "I am…very sorry, General." She looked back at Roy, who was respectfully averting his eyes. "I'm sorry…Arika." She walked back to Roy.  
"Done?"  
"Yes, I believe so, sir."  
He gave Arika a parting glance, then turned his back on her. "I've been thinking, Hawkeye."  
She rolled her eyes. "Really, sir?"  
He glared. "Yes, I've been thinking about how you said the Fuhrer sent you to kill me. Why would he do that unless he knew what I was planning?"  
"I've been thinking of that too, sir."  
He stopped, took a breath, and prepared himself for the pain of what he was about to say.  
But Riza beat him to it. "I think we have a mole, sir."

Bum bum bum! I think I lost control of this story. Oh, well. Wait, screw this! I'm making a new story, so hah! If by some freak of capture I've kept your interest, you can find it under The Mole. I know, I know, anti-climactic, but still….


End file.
